1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses that use a stamp function to register and edit a stamp, and to processing methods thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The current art includes three techniques have been invented as mechanisms for affixing additional information, such as a stamp, to document data and for printing the document data.
A first technique is to affix a stamp to document data in the process of generating a series of print data in a printer driver. In an information processing apparatus, before generating print data to be sent to a printer, data is temporarily stored in a data format (i.e., intermediate code) different from the format of the print data to be eventually sent to the printer. The print data to be eventually sent to the printer is then generated from the data temporarily stored in the intermediate code format.
This print system is provided with a function of affixing characters of an arbitrary size, font, and angle, such as “Confidential” or “No Copying”, to document pages or print pages of the data in the intermediate code format corresponding to the entire document or some of its pages. This function will hereafter be referred to as a “stamp function.” For example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-025276.
A second technique is to affix a stamp by using an integrated application that converts the format of a document created by a certain application, stores it as a new document, and displays the stored document on a preview screen. Since this integrated application manages the document in a layered structure composed of a book, chapters, and pages, the stamp may be affixed in each layer. In addition, the ability to perform operations while checking the preview of the document provides an advantage of good operability. For example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-091526.
A third technique is to affix variable information to document data in an application print system by using replacement printing with variable data (variable), i.e., what is called variable printing. For example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-296070.
The above-described first technique only allows the use of some character strings prepared through a user interface of the printer driver and of registered character strings. Therefore, it has a disadvantage that a character string needs to be registered in advance each time if the use of a plurality of arbitrary character strings, such as personal names is desired, and this takes effort.
In addition, when a registered stamp is affixed to perform printing, operations of selecting the stamp and performing printing must be performed. This poses a problem that printing with the stamp multiple times requires repetition of these operations, and this takes much effort and time.
The above-described second technique allows checking the state of the affixed stamp by looking at the preview, but the technique only allows the use of some character strings prepared through a user interface of the integrated application and of registered character strings. Therefore, it has a disadvantage that a character string needs to be registered in advance each time if the use of a plurality of arbitrary character strings, such as personal names is desired, and this takes effort.
In addition, when a registered stamp is affixed to perform printing, operations of selecting the stamp and performing printing must be performed. This poses a problem that printing with the stamp multiple times requires repetition of these operations, and this takes much effort and time.
If similar operations are to be performed with the variable function as in the above-described third technique, the desired position, angle, and size of the character string need to be defined for all pages as settings for the text field. Any correction also needs to be made to all pages. Thus, there is a problem of operability.